Discussions regarding the return of the Parthenon Marbles to Greece have once again reached a dead-end, Greek Reporter reports, as two letters sent by the British government and the British Museum to UNESCO, which mediates for the Greeks, though noting respect and admiration for UNESCO’s work, were both stating a clearly negative disposition towards the matter. “After full and careful consideration, we have decided respectfully to decline this request. We believe that the more constructive way forward, on which we have already embarked, is to collaborate directly with other museums and cultural institutions, not just in Greece but also across the world” say among others the British Museum in its letter to UNESCO’s Assistant Director-General for Culture, Alfredo Pérez de Armiñán. “The issue of the Parthenon sculptures in the British Museum has been the subject of much discussion over the years both within the Committee and elsewhere, and while the UK is not formally a member of the Committee, officials from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the British Museum have regularly attended and sought to assist the Committee in its work”, stated the letter of the British government, addressed to the same person. “However, while the British government wishes to cooperate with UNESCO, they clearly state that they cannot agree to the Greek government’s request for the return of the Parthenon Marbles since they ‘were legally acquired by Lord Elgin under the laws pertaining at the time and the Trustees of the British Museum have had clear legal title to the sculptures since 1816”.